223 WADING BIRDS. 



in tropical America, and passing the summer, or breeding 

 season in the marshes of Florida and the contiguous parts 

 of the State of Georgia, where it arrives in the latter part 

 of April, retiring south with its brood, in the course of the 

 autumn, and probably winters, according to its habits, in 

 the swampy maritime districts along the coast of the Mex- 

 ican Gulf. An instance is given by Mr. Ord, of one of 

 these birds being driven out to sea, and taking shelter on 

 board of a vessel bound from New Orleans to Philadelphia, 

 while in the gulf This happened on the 24th of May, and 

 therefore could only have been a bewildered straggler, 

 accidentally carried out to sea without any intention of 

 migrating ; nor is it probable that a bird of such short 

 wings as those which characterize the genus, would make 

 the attempt to travel any considerable distance over sea, 

 while a route by land, equally favorable for the purpose, 

 offered. Little reliance, therefore, is to be placed upon 

 these accidents, as proving the maritime migratory habits 

 of birds. Several hundred miles from land, towards the 

 close of last June, (1833,) in the latitude of the Capes of 

 Virginia, the vessel in which I was sailing for the port of 

 New York, was visited by two or three unfortunate Swallows, 

 who, overcome by hunger and fatigue, alighted for a while 

 on the rigging of our ship, from whence they, in all proba- 

 bility, proceeded farther out to sea and perished. At this 

 season of the year they could not be migrating, but had 

 wandered out upon the barren bosom of the deceiving 

 ocean, and would, in consequence of exhaustion and famine, 

 soon after fall a prey to the remorseless deep. 



The Martinico Gallinule, while in the Southern States, 

 frequents the rice fields, rivulets, and fresh water pools, in 

 company with the more common Florida species. It is a 

 vigorous and active bird, bites hard when irritated, runs 

 with agility, and has the faculty, like the Sultanas, of hold- 



